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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — a tin
  3. bound — tied together
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. chest — of your body
  6. perch — the fish
  7. spell — letters
  8. face — part of the head
  9. chest — a box
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. tube — the underground
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bound — obliged
  14. face — to point toward
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. face — to confront
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. can — to be able to
  19. tube — a container
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bound — certain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com